WINTER PARK – The Dorothy Turner Johnson Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) will host a moderated conversation with storyteller, poet, historian, archivist, and curator Valada Flewellyn. A long-time Central Florida resident, she has been a social justice advocate since age 13, when she waged what the Call and Post newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, called “a one-girl campaign to get Black history books in the Cleveland Public Schools” (April 1968).
Flewellyn loves gathering and preserving history. She has written seven books, two books chronicling Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. She served as National Archivist emeritus for Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, and is currently archivist for The National Black Golf Hall of Fame. She curates several museum exhibits and has participated in historical documentaries as a producer, researcher, interviewer, scriptwriter, and voiceover. A member of the NAACP, she is the past president of the Sanford Historical Society, a member of Bridging the Color Divide, a founding member of The Alliance for Truth and Justice, a board member for the Crealde School of Art and the Hannibal Square Heritage Center and honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated. Flewellyn is the founder of the Puzzled Peace Initiative (www.puzzledpeace.net).
The event is scheduled for January 19, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm at the Winter Park Library. It will be moderated by Dr. Rebekah McCloud, ASALH/DTJ vice president. Flewellyn, a well-respected leader in the Central Florida community, will pay tribute to Dorothy Turner Johnson, namesake of the Central Florida branch of ASALH and a member of the Women’s Army Corp, 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion. Nicknamed “Six-Triple Eight,” the battalion is the subject of the latest Tyler Perry movie. Flewellyn had a personal relationship with Dorothy Turner Johnson. Flewellyn noted that when her mother died, “Dorothy took on the role of a grandmother to our three children. Our children called her Grand’Mere.” Johnson wrote a book called “One Day Mother/ UN Dia Madre” inspired by Flewellyn’s daughter Tina.
Join us for an engaging presentation and conversation.
